How do I get better at basketball?

[paegk]

You gotta practice or play regularly. My brother-in-law couldn't even dribble a couple of years ago but we play twice a week and now he 's knocking down open j's.

 

[ter1413]

It's like shooting pool....you can watch the Hustler and/or read books...Unless you get out there and play/practice/play/etc...you will still suck!

 

[thekunk07]

this is the key to me. nothing worse than clueless players pulling additional defenders to the ball.
I coach 10 year olds and if they stop moving they sit. Keep moving and let the creators create if you cannot.

Originally Posted by Verno Inferno

Sorry if this is stuff you already know, but I've played plenty of pick-up games with experienced players who just don't get this stuff. There are very few things you can do to make you better other than playing all the time with the purpose of improving. Here are things you can improve immediately so that when you are playing with others, you are a valuable asset to the team:

Play like Dennis Rodman. On offense, admit to yourself that you're terrible with the ball in your hands. If you're having trouble with layups, don't even try to score on offense. Your job should be figuring out how to affect the outcome of the game without attempting to score. Here are some pointers:

Move without the ball: When you play pick-up games, it's really annoying that people don't move without the ball. Everyone's in a man-to-man and nobody's cutting and it's irritating for people who play a lot of basketball. So when you are on offense, run to a corner. Let the guy guarding you catch up to you. Now run to the other corner. He won't know where your headed, so you'll always be a step ahead of him. Do this running with your hands out like you're calling for the ball. You're not the offensive juggernaut, so you won't get it probably, but you'll freak out the lazy pick-up game defense.

Set picks for the guy with the ball: you can be the worst player in the history of basketball and set picks to help the good player score all day. Pick-up game defenders are poor at making switches when it's appropriate. So good guy on your team has the ball. You run from your corner up to the guy with the ball and set a pick on the guy who's guarding him. One of two things will happen: your best player will get free of the fellow guarding him and will have a nice scoring advantage and can make something happen on offense. Or, they'll switch defenders so that he doesn't get a step on his man. So now you have another ideal scenario: the guy guarding you (probably not their best player if you are a weak offensive threat) will now be guarding your teams best player and their best athlete is probably guarding you.

Set picks for the guy without the ball: maybe a really good player doesn't have the ball. Run over to that fella and set a pick on the guy guarding him. Same benefits as before: he's either going to be wide open for a pass and easy bucket, or they have to switch defenders.

Box-Out: notice I didn't say rebound. You can try to rebound, of course, but the best thing you can do on offense is that when a shot goes up, put your butt on somebody and box him out so that he can't rebound. Either you or someone more athletic on your team will grab the board if everyone's boxing out. A pick-up team that has 5 players who actually box-out is a team I'll put money on because they are the team that's going to get second and third shots. So if you catch yourself watching someone's shot without boxing out, make a mental note that you won't be so lazy next time.

So that's a lot of words for simply: (1) make cuts without the ball; (2) set picks; (3) box-out.

That's how you become a better team asset instantly when you don't really have any offensive or defensive skills. None of that requires actual basketball skill or even any athletecism. And don't worry about plays. Once you learn the efficacy of setting picks, then you can move on to learning the pick and roll and maybe you can start getting some open looks of your own.

 

[Flame]

Originally Posted by indesertum

actually i think people used to learn karate from teh book.

it's hard to tell you what I don't suck at. My crossovers are pretty decent, but I tend to double crossover because my left hand skills suck. I generally don't do layups. I prefer mid range jumpers. I can get a lot of turnovers, but because I like the feeling of stealing a ball I tend to reach instead of defending properly by sidestepping.

I just want to improve everything. I also would like to learn some plays.

Right now I'm tempted to practice invest in the rockhandle and follow the vertical jump bible in a week or a week and a half.

Any resources, articles, books, media, stuff that I can read and watch?

Too late for this IM season, but next IM season I want to be ready.
I played starting point for my varsity team, so I'll to give some advice.

- Get fitter. Do polymetrics. After 1 year of polymetrics my defense improved a lot and I'm commonly used to mark the opponent's best perimeter scorer. Basically stamina + polymetrics = better quickness and endurance to stay on your man. Don't go for the steal always, look to hassle and harass the ball and when off the ball, keep your eyes on the ball but use peripheral vision to take note of your man (e.g is he cutting, is a potential screen coming up)

For help side defence when your teammate is beaten by his man...there's no hard and fast rule, i guess experience counts in this case.

- I improved my dribble constantly by dribbling while watching TV etc. I also improved my weak hand dribble by forcing myself to use my weak hand during pick up game. Took me around 6 months but I'm now ambidextrous.

- As for vertical, doing polymetrics and eating right and keeping lean will be the best bet. I managed to shed weight, lose body fat, got more explosive the more i trained. Currently, Im around 5'10 and I can grab a regulation rim with both hand from a standing position.

- To get quicker, either do suicides, or this one drill i was taught where you touch one end of the FT line, shuffle to the other end, touch the other end and back again.

- Pls don't buy a vertical jump program. Its all hype.

- Lastly, play more and enjoy the game!

 

[indesertum]

polymetric as in multiple movement workouts or plyometrics?

i'm not investing money into a vertical jump program. i have a bad habit of torrenting everything. i was going to buy a $5 rubber ball for the drills the guy made the ball made to go with it.

anyways had my last im game today. it was pretty bad. i missed a lot of shots, but i took the advice ppl gave and i kept moving, setting up screens, hands out, tried to get a lot rebounds, got the opponent to stop dribbling, saddled the opponent's pivot leg when he stopped. i managed to set up a few good plays, but i didnt score myself a lot.

 

[Flame]

Oops I meant plyometrics my bad. They really help alot, especially if you play an agility-based sport like basketball or badminton.

 

[milosh]

Doesn't plyometric training require that you've already built up a considerable amout of strength?

 

[Flame]

You can always start with low-intensity ones like box jumps, barrier jumps, tuck jumps etc. Anyways not a large strength base is needed but you should be well-conditioned stamina wise as well as have a decent core.

 

[Kris]

Three pages and no one has suggested negroplasty.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Kris

Three pages and no one has suggested negroplasty.
ahem....

Originally Posted by FashionEttiquette

You get some negroplasty

 

[Kris]

Originally Posted by Matt

ahem....

My mistake for missing that. And whew. I thought I was in the twilight zone.

 

[Monaco]

Read up on rules, and play pick up games at your local park/basketball court, don't be shy just keep playing, thats the only way to get better. Try not to play with the same people on a consistent basis, you get too comfortable and won't get any better.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Monaco

Read up on rules, and play pick up games at your local park/basketball court, don't be shy just keep playing, thats the only way to get better. Try not to play with the same people on a consistent basis, you get too comfortable and won't get any better.
NO! This is bad advice. Actual action is bad. He must read. A lot. Books. Many of them. Maybe a DVD or two, as long as someone long-retired has their picture on the cover. Vlade Divac would be ideal. Leaving the house is the worst way to get better at anything. If you really cared, you would suggest books, and possibly Playstation games. When he has mastered basketball, we can then start on the sitar.

 

[indesertum]

Originally Posted by Matt

NO! This is bad advice. Actual action is bad. He must read. A lot. Books. Many of them. Maybe a DVD or two, as long as someone long-retired has their picture on the cover. Vlade Divac would be ideal. Leaving the house is the worst way to get better at anything. If you really cared, you would suggest books, and possibly Playstation games. When he has mastered basketball, we can then start on the sitar.

you're so funny.

I don't see what's wrong with reading a few manuals, watching a few DVDs in addition playing pick up basketball.

You can keep making things up for all I care.

I never said anything like I'd rather read and watch than play and practice myself.

 

[Monaco]

@ Matt, lol chill on the sarcasm there, excess, excess.

@ indesertum, well that is what you prefer, the OP is asking to get better at basketball, nothing better than to just throw yourself out there and learn. That is how I learned how to play basketball, understand basic rules and people on the courts will correct you.